Soon to appear on bookstore shelves is a quartet of books spotlighting rock musicians, past and present. Young readers will have a chance to become better acquainted with the late Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix, as well as the perennially popular Bono and a roundup of rock bands that have performed over the past four decades.
Abrams's Amulet imprint will release Janis Joplin: Rise Up Singing by Ann Angel on October 4, the 40th anniversary of this iconic singer's death. Aimed at readers 14 and up, the book discusses the her talent, rebelliousness, and self-doubt, and includes more than 60 photographs and anecdotes from friends and bandmates of Joplin, who died at age 27.
Another rebel and musical innovator from the same era is the subject of Gary Golio's Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow: A Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix. Illustrated by Javaka Steptoe, this October picture book from Clarion focuses on Hendrix's childhood, when he played air guitar with a broom and longed for a real guitar of his own, and wondered if it was possible to paint pictures with sound.
An addition to the Zonderkidz Biographies series, Breaking Through by Grace: The Bono Story by Kim Washburn tells of the career, humanitarian work, and faith of Dublin native Paul David Hewson, better known by his stage name of Bono. A performer for more than two decades with the band U2, this musician has used his celebrity status to fight for AIDS relief in Africa.
From AC/DC to ZZ Top, The ABCs of Rock offers a 40-year retrospective of rock music. Due from Tricycle Press in October, this alphabetical compilation is written by Melissa Duke Mooney, a singer who has fronted for several bands. The illustrations were created by Print Mafia, a team made up of Connie Collingsworth and Jim Madison, who have created posters for rock bands since 1997.
